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WTT Washington Kastles

Serena Williams, World #1, Returns To Kastles for 2009

February 4, 2009 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


We are thrilled to announce that our Kastles own and World #1 Ranked Serena Williams will be returning for the 2009 season. Since playing for the Kastles last July, Serena has won a U.S. Open title, the Olympics Doubles Gold Medal and the Australian Open Singles and Doubles titles this past weekend. She has now won 20 career Grand Slam titles; 10 singles, eight women's doubles and two mixed doubles. Her consecutive singles titles in the 2008 U.S. Open and 2009 Australian Open are her first back-to-back Grand Slam singles victories since she completed the "Serena Slam" in 2003.

Serena will return for her second season competing with the team after being protected earlier today in the league's marquee player draft. She will play one home match for the Kastles and three away matches on dates to be determined when the schedule comes out in late February. The league's regular season will run from July 2-26, 2009 concluding with the Advanta WTT Championship Weekend where teams battle for the coveted King Trophy. The rest of Williams' 2009 Kastles' teammates will be determined during the full Advanta World TeamTennis draft in March and the 2009 stadium site and full match schedule will also be announced in the next two months.

Through the draft process today, we were also very pleased to secure a visit from Venus Williams, a seven-time singles and eight-time women's doubles Grand Slam champion, for her first professional match in Washington as a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms. She will be joined in D.C. this summer by John McEnroe of the New York Sportimes and Anna Kournikova of the St. Louis Aces, who both played in front of sold-out crowds last season. These three great stars have a total of 36 career Grand Slam titles among them.

"Coming off her recent Australian Open and U.S. Open wins and carrying the world's number one ranking, we are incredibly excited to welcome Serena back to Washington", said team owner Mark Ein. "We're also thrilled to have Venus play her first professional match in DC in our stadium this summer."

"Last season, our town welcomed Serena, a sports icon, as one of our own and she loves competing here and on the road for our team," Ein continued. "With the Williams sisters, John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova coming to town, we hope to continue to build the Kastles into a must-see summer event."

This is the Kastles' second year competing in Advanta WorldTeamTennis. Last year's squad, led by Serena Williams, played in front of packed and enthusiastic crowds all season. The team just missed a playoff berth, while claiming several spectacular regular season victories including one over McEnroe and another over the eventual league champion, the New York Buzz.

"We learned a lot last year about competing in this league," stated Ein. "We have three goals this year, and everything we do is focused on achieving them; offer our fans a great, fun and unique experience; give back to our community that has supported us so strongly; and last, but certainly not least, bring the WTT championship home to Washington, D.C."

During our inaugural 2008 season, we worked hard to lay the foundation of our community initiatives; hosting six clinics led by some of the biggest stars in the game for area youth and donating more than 1,800 tickets and 1,200 rackets to local charities. In total, the Kastles provided more than $110,000 in donations, tickets, racquets and merchandise to local charities, youth groups and children.

"Teaching kids, exposing them to the game, giving them the chance to meet their tennis idols in intimate settings, donating tickets to some of our area's hardest-working charities - these are bedrocks of the way our franchise will always operate," said Ein, who founded the team in 2008.

In many ways, today's announcement marks the launch of our 2009 season. Watch for a series of exciting additional announcements in the upcoming weeks and months as we work to build the kind of first class team, stadium, fan experience and community programs that you, our loyal fans, deserve and have come to expect.



World TeamTennis Stories from February 4, 2009


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